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Who Killed Congressman Lawrence Patton McDonald?
by Todd Brendan Fahey
Second in a Series
Part II: The Swiss Report
February 6, 2002
Introduction by Todd Brendan Fahey
Text by the Late Rep. Lawrence Patton McDonald (D-GA), General George
S. Patton III, USA Ret. and General Lewis Walt, USMC, Ret.
Five months prior to U.S. Congressman Lawrence Patton McDonald being
shot out of the sky by Anab air-to-air missles, fired by a Soviet Su-
15 fighter jet in the KAL Flight 007 "incident," September 1, 1983,
he and two prominent retired military Generals assembled a blueprint
for effective civilian "home" defense. Far from the Homeland Defense
package being installed today by George W. Bush--which bears all the
hallmarks of early Martial Law, Larry McDonald's hope was that such a
blueprint--adopted by gun owners in the United States--would repel
any U.N.-governed invasion or the illicit use of U.S. military on the
U.S. citizenry. The founders of our nation stationed the right to
keep and bear arms as the 2nd amendment--only after the right to free
speech and free exercise of religion--for a reason.
I urge you to read this report as carefully as you can, as many times as you can, and
to put into practice Dr. McDonald's prescriptions. They may just save this Republic.
***
THE SWISS REPORT
A special study for Western Goals Foundation
by General George S. Patton, USA (Ret.) and General Lewis W. Walt, USMC (Ret.)
Copyright © 1983 Western Goals
================= W E S T E R N G O A L S =================
309-A Cameron Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 (703) 549-6688
Congressman Lawrence P. McDonald, Chairman
Western Goals Advisory Board
Rep. Jean Ashbrook - Vice Adm. Lloyd M. Mustin
Mrs. Walter Brennan - Mrs. John C. Newington
Taylor Caldwell - Gen. George S. Patton
Roy M. Cohn, Esq. - Dr. Hans Sennholz
Rep. Philip M. Crane - Gen. John Singlaub
Gen. Raymond G. Davis - Dan Smoot
Henry Hazlitt - Robert Stoddard
Dr. Mildred F. Jefferson - Rep. Bob Stump
Dr. Anthony Kubek - Mrs. Helen Marie Taylor
Roger Milliken - Dr. Edward Teller
Adm. Thomas Moorer - Gen. Lewis Walt
E.A. Morris - Dr. Eugene Wigner
Western Goals Executive Staff
Linda Guell, Director
John Rees, Editor
Julia Ferguson, Research
LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN
March 1983
Dear Reader:
In the contemporary arena of political chicanery, reality counts for little and
illusion is frequently king, but in the struggle for the survival of Western
Civilization, it will be the real world, not illusions or delusi
ons, that will determine which way the future will go. This basic truth is especially
the case in areas of national defense. Politicians may play politics as usual right up
to the time of actual conflict; after that point
, only the mislabeled fool or dedicated traitor would continue the deception.
National defense matters present many real problems at both the policymaking and
electorate levels. One such case may be found in the question of a draft as a means of
supplying the necessary military manpower. A military
service draft causes apprehension to eligible teenage males, and this is especially
the case when the inequitable draft of the Vietnam War era is remembered.
The all-volunteer military force is an alternative to a draft, but it is an expensive
way to go as illustrated by the fact that approximately 60 percent of the defense
dollar goes to personnel and personnel related costs
(by way of comparison, in the Soviet Union the comparable figure is 22 percent, thus
leaving the lion's share for weapons development and production). Too, historically,
there are serious questions as to whether a paychec
k is an adequate substitute for patriotic fervor.
While Americans wrestle with the defense matters of growing costs, manpower needs,
volunteerism vs. the draft, and even the matter of a national will, it is refreshing
to note that there is one country that has adopted a
formula that has resolved those same vexations. That country is Switzerland, and
amazingly, the Swiss have successfully applied this national defense formula for
centuries without the problems of popular division. To the
contrary, the Swiss concept has promoted unity among the people of that small but
mature nation.
The people of Switzerland are to be envied for their many achievements, and the policy
achievement of a plan for armed neutrality could be a model either in whole or in part
for those seeking a rational approach to surviv
al problems.
The concept of armed neutrality was a policy favored by our Founding Fathers but the
warnings and advice of Founding Father George Washington has been lost to Twentieth
Century Americans. Perhaps even at this late date, w
e could find many answers to our current problems by observing the Swiss way of a
total defense concept.
Sincerely, Lawrence P. McDonald Chairman and President
"...to rebuild and strengthen the political, economic, and social structure of the
United States and Western Civilization so as to make any merger with totalitarians
impossible."
WESTERN GOALS
__________________________________________________________________
THE AUTHORS
MAJOR GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON, USA (RET.)
Major General George Smith Patton was born December 24, 1923, in Boston,
Massachusetts, the youngest of 3 children of Major George S. Patton, Jr. and Beatrice
Ayer Patton.
General Patton graduated from The Hill School, Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and from the
U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He holds a Masters Degree in International
Affairs from George Washington University. The General a
lso attended the Armed Forces Staff College, the U.S. Army Armor School, and the U.S.
Army War College.
General Patton served in Korea as Company Commander and volunteered for service in
Vietnam, serving initially as Special Forces Operations Officer concurrently with an
assignment at the American Embassy, Saigon. One of hi
s several other Vietnam assignments included his service as Commanding Officer, 11th
Armored Cavalry Regiment.
Peacetime missions include General Patton's service as follows: Headquarters and
Student Company Commander and Commanding Officer of the Tank Training Center and 63rd
Heavy Tank Battalion, respectively, in Germany (Genera
l Patton's career with the U.S. Army includes approximately 11 years European service
alone); Company Tactical Officer with the Department of Tactics at West Point and
similar duties at the Executive Department at the U.S
. Naval Academy; Assistant Commandant of the U.S. Army Armor School in Fort Knox;
Director, Security Assistance with Headquarters at the U.S. European Command; and
Director of Readiness, HQ DARCOM.
The General's decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross with one oak leaf
cluster; Silver Star with one oak leaf cluster; Legion of Merit with two oak leaf
clusters; Distinguished Flying Cross; Meritorious Servi
ce Medal; several South Vietnam decorations, and the Purple Heart.
General Patton is married to the former Joanne Holbrook and they reside on their farm
in South Hamilton, Massachusetts.
GENERAL LEWIS W. WALT, USMC (RET.)
General Lewis William Walt, who has seen more combat on the battlefield than any other
living Marine, led combat troops in three wars, was a U.S. Marine Platoon Leader in
the defense of the International Settlement in Sha
nghai, China in 1938-39, and retired from active service in the Corps on February 1,
1971.
During his active military career of nearly 35 years, General Walt was awarded 19
personal decorations for combat, including two Navy Crosses, our Nation's second
highest combat award. He was also awarded two Distinguishe
d Service Medals -- one as a Commander of the Marines and other combat troops in
Vietnam, and one as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Following his retirement, the 4-star General served as Director of the United States
Marines Youth Foundation and subsequently he headed up the U.S. Senate Investigation
on International Drug Traffic. From September 1974
to September 1975, General Walt served as the senior military member of President
Ford's Clemency Board, followed by his service as Consultant to the Department of
Defense in the areas of weapons development and combat tr
aining.
General Walt, one of 12 children who worked his way through college, was born on a
farm near Harveyville, Kansas on February 16, 1913. He graduated with honors from the
Military Department at Colorado State University wit
h a degree in Chemistry. His authored works include: Strange War, Strange Strategy
(1970); America Faces Defeat (1971) and The Eleventh Hour (1979).
The General Currently resides in Orlando, Florida with his wife June.
__________________________________________________________________
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Western Goals wishes to express its sincere appreciation to the
following individuals for their invaluable assistance in the presentation of this
study:
1. Divisionnaire (MG) Edmund Muller, Deputy Chief of Staff, Logistics Federal Military
Department Berne, Switzerland
2. Colonel Jean Rossier, Chief of the Territorial Service Staff Logistics Federal
Military Department Berne, Switzerland
3. Colonel Philippe Zeller, Chief of Operations, General Staff Federal Military
Department Berne, Switzerland
4. Hans Mumenthaler, Director Federal Office of Civil Defense Berne, Switzerland
5. Honorable G.A. Chevallaz, Minister of Defense The Federal Council Berne, Switzerland
6. Brig. General Heinrich Koopman and Staff Office of the Swiss Military Attache
Washington, D.C.
7. Colonel George E. Thompson, The American Embassy, Berne, Switzerland.
The Foundation wishes to say a special "thank you" to Charley Reese, Orlando, Florida,
for his editorial assistance and contributions.
==================================================================
THE SWISS REPORT
==================================================================
Switzerland lies landlocked in Western Europe, a small densely populated nation of
nearly seven million people. To the west lies France, to the south Italy and to the
north and east, West Germany and Austria. By modern je
t fighter, it is ten minutes from the Warsaw Pact nations of Eastern Europe. Since
1815, Switzerland has remained an inviolate island of peace in the midst of war. Even
Adolph Hitler's Wehrmacht, which conquered all of Eu
rope in the early months of World War II, chose not to attack Switzerland despite the
fact that the small country was in the crossroads of Western Europe.
Switzerland is, of course, neutral, but it was not mere respect for its neutrality
which kept the Nazi armies and others before it out of the tiny country. It was the
determination of the Swiss people to defend their neut
rality and the credibility of their means to do so. That determination remains alive
today in the face of weapons of mass destruction. So, too, does the credibility of the
means. Within 48 hours, the Swiss can field an ar
my of more than 600,000 men, 100,000 more than the present army of West Germany.
Today, it can provide shelter space for 85 percent of its civilian population and by
the 1990s intends to have shelter space for the entire
population. War supplies, medical supplies and food supplies are meticulously stored
in more than 100 kilometers of tunnels. About 4,000 permanent obstacles and barriers
and more than 2,000 demolition devices are now in p
lace, ready to hamper and block an aggressor's progress. In short, Switzerland is an
armed bunker.
Yet, there is no standing Army, no bunker mentality, no enormous drain on the Swiss
economy, no militaristic threat to Europe's oldest and most fiercely independent
democracy.
How the Swiss have achieved this credible deterrent to invasion is the subject of this
report. The Swiss security system is unique as well as an example of what a democratic
nation can accomplish by applying reason and lo
gic to problems which have been realistically and carefully analyzed.
HISTORY
Niccolo Machiavelli, the 15th century Italian student of power, remarked of the Swiss,
"They are the most armed -- and most free people in Europe." Indeed, Switzerland was
born in the 13th century out of a desire to be fr
ee of domination by the Habsburg family. In 1291 three Swiss cantons signed the
Perpetual Covenant which marked the beginning of the Swiss Confederation. In the
1300s, the Swiss fought several wars for independence with A
ustria and in 1499, Switzerland won its independence from the Holy Roman Empire.
The policy of neutrality originated in 1515 when the Swiss suffered a stunning defeat
by the French, but that early neutrality did not save it from an invasion and
occupation by the French under Napoleon in 1798. The Cong
ress of Vienna of 1815 restored Swiss independence and guaranteed its neutrality.
Switzerland adopted a new constitution in 1848, modeled somewhat after the American
constitution and this was amended in 1874 to increase the federal government's powers
in military and court matters, although the cantons
(equivalent to American states) generally retain considerably more power than
American states.
The Swiss economy today is built around precision manufacturing, chemicals, banking,
and tourism. It has one of the highest standards of living in the world and the land
is criss- crossed by a 3,150-mile railroad network
and 30,000 miles of hard-surfaced roads. Three major rivers have their origin in
Switzerland -- the Rhine, the Rhone, and the Po. Most of the population and most of
the agriculture are located in the plateau region betwee
n the Jura and the Alps. Swiss agriculture can produce only three-fifths of the
nation's food supply, a factor carefully weighed in the Swiss security system
planning. The nation is greatly dependant on imports for food a
nd most raw materials for its industry, including oil, natural gas, and coal.
Since 1815, the Swiss have not fought in a foreign war, yet they have maintained the
tradition of a citizen army and rifle and pistol shooting are among the nation's most
popular sports with almost every village having a
shooting range, over 3,000 ranges in all.
Today Switzerland maintains its neutrality, but practices what it calls solidarity --
participating in international humanitarian projects, offering its good offices in the
resolution of disputes, and providing technical
assistance to Third World countries. The Swiss participate in those international
activities and organizations which do not require it to violate its policy of
neutrality. Neutrality is central to Swiss thinking and, in f
act, is the determining factor in the Swiss security system.
SWISS STRATEGIC THINKING
Divisionnaire Major General Edmund Muller, deputy chief of staff, logistics,
summarized Swiss strategic thinking this way: "Historical experience shows that if a
nation is not able to defend itself and to protect its spir
itual and material values, it will become, sooner or later, the target of power
politics and force. Efforts to defend ourselves against force are therefore still
necessary. These efforts must be integrated within a compre
hensive security policy expressed in the form of clear guidelines. Our government is
convinced that we can successfully undertake peace- keeping efforts in the future only
if we can ensure at the same time our own securit
y in a credible way. The security policy of a country is only credible if a realistic
evaluation of the threats and a sober estimation of its own possibilities lead to the
implementation of a concept capable of inspiring
confidence at home and respect abroad."
The words, "credible", "respect", "realistic", and "planning" occur over and over in
Swiss defense documents and briefings. To a remarkable degree, the Swiss government
has approached its problems in a supremely logical m
anner, setting out basic premises and drawing the correct inferences.
The objectives of the security policy are set forth as follows: (1) preservation of
peace in independence; (2) preservation of freedom of action; (3) protection of the
population; and (4) defense of the territory.
Each of these objectives has been carefully analyzed and the choice of words is not
careless. What the Swiss mean by "Peace in independence" is made clear in the
following excerpt from a report of the Federal Council to t
he Federal Assembly:
"The preservation of peace -- no matter how much we are interested in it -- is not an
end in itself. It can neither be separated from the preservation of self-determination
nor can one be played off against the other. Our
goal is peace in independence; both aspects are therefore of equal importance."
In defining preservation of freedom of action, the Swiss make clear they mean freedom
from foreign pressures, which can be achieved only by having available a powerful
means of resisting them and freedom from internal pre
ssure generated by illegal means or the use of force.
Having defined their security policy objectives, the Swiss then proceed to examine the
threat. In doing so, they include "the state of relative peace" along with indirect
war, conventional war, war with weapons of mass de
struction, and blackmail.
The following quotations from the same Federal Council report reveal not only the
Swiss view of the present threats but provide an insight in their thinking processes:
"Today, peace does not correspond to the ideal and conditions usually associated with
it. The general situation is characterized by continuous confrontations, also in those
cases where there is no open employment of force
."
"The danger of a breach of international agreement is always present. The collective
security system envisioned by the Charter of the United Nations has not been allowed
to become effective, particularly because of the la
ck of unanimity among the permanent members of the security council....today's state
of relative peace is to a great extent due to the fact that the two superpowers
neutralize each other. The balance of fear, maintained o
nly by the mutual threat of annihilation, is not stable. It can be jeopardized by the
excessive armaments efforts of one side, by technological breakthroughs as well as by
irrational actions....under the protection of thi
s relative balance of forces, powers and groups of powers attempt to enlarge their
spheres of influence through political, economical, propagandistic and psychological
pressures."
"Conflicts are increasingly being waged by indirect means; with the goal of
influencing, weakening and finally overcoming the opponent through political,
psychological and terrorist means....this type of warfare takes adv
antage of the increasing vulnerability of the modern state with its numerous vital
facilities (such as power utilities, communication, transportation and information
facilities). Those who resort to this kind of warfare,
whether they act in the interest of a foreign power, a foreign ideology or out of
anarchistic motives, take advantage of the frictions existing within a society, as
well as of all forms of political and social malaise of
certain population groups. By attempting to break up the existing liberal order
through the paralysis of the public institutions, facilities and the democratic
processes by way of defamation, intimidation and the employme
nt of force, they hope to be able to achieve their goals."
"The possibility of blackmail exists at each level of conflict, taking advantage of
the opponent's fear of the threatened actions. Blackmail acquires a particular
dimension if it is exercised by nuclear powers. The author
ities of the state against which the blackmail is directed could be put under intense
public pressure and be forced to make decisions of such a magnitude as to be without
historical parallel....the four levels of conflict
are characterized by those methods and means which would, at each level, be
predominantly employed. During large confrontations, the parties to the conflict will
try to combine these methods and means acting simultaneous
ly in a direct and indirect manner."
Thus, the Swiss take a hard look at the world and indulge in no escapist thinking.
They recognize that they could become the victim of blackmail, of subversion, of a
conventional or nuclear attack. Yet they also realize t
hat because of their small size, they are not likely to be a primary target and
therefore cannot justify a continued state of mobilization.
The Swiss see the military as only one component of a spectrum of strategic means to
achieve their security objectives. Their foreign policy initiatives are a strategic
means to defend their policy of armed neutrality, to
provide access to raw materials and markets to exports. Social policy is a strategic
means to provide the stability necessary to withstand threats. Economic policy is a
strategic means of insuring that in times of crisis
or war, the Swiss people can continue to exist. The Swiss Government has actually
formed what it calls a war economy organization with the specific goals of planning
for self-sufficiency in time of war. In this regard, S
wiss citizens are required to maintain in their homes a two-month's supply of food;
industrialists and importers are required to maintain war stocks of raw materials and
food. Civil Defense is seen as the strategic means
of insuring survival of the population. In short, the Swiss approach the problem of
security with a totally integrated methodology that involves the entire nation.
THE MILITIA SYSTEM
The purpose of the military forces of Switzerland are two-fold: (1) to deter war by
the principle of dissuasion; and (2) if deterrence fails, to defend the territory and
the population.
"Dissuasion is a strategic posture which should persuade a potential aggressor to
avoid armed conflict, by convincing him of the disproportion existing between the
advantages gained from an attack on the country and the r
isks entailed. The risks which a potential aggressor must be made to perceive consists
in the loss of prestige, military forces, war- potential and time, as well as in
running counter to his ideological, political and eco
nomic interests."
The Swiss have no illusions about their ability to defeat a major military power. They
could not have defeated the Nazi army which for a time considered invading
Switzerland. They mobilized, however, and made it clear bey
ond a shadow of a doubt that if the Nazi army invaded, it would be fiercely resisted
and that the tunnels and passes into Italy would be destroyed. In a classic example of
dissuasion at work, Hitler's general staff recomm
ended against an invasion on the grounds that the costs would be disproportionate to
the gains.
The Swiss military forces are composed almost entirely of the militia. Only 800 out of
50,000 officers are professionals. They, and the recruits which happen to be training
at any given time, are the only people in Switze
rland on "active duty."
The Swiss militia system is unique and is not comparable to the present Reserve and
Guard forces in the United States. The basis for conscription is the constitution,
which mandates military service for every Swiss male f
rom age 20 to 50 (55 in the case of officers). There are no exceptions. Conscientious
objectors are given a choice between Army non-combat units and jail. Those physically
unfit for military duty but employable are requir
ed to pay a tax. Women are not included in the compulsory military service system, but
small numbers of them are accepted on a volunteer basis for non-combatant positions.
The universality of the Swiss system provides several advantages. It is fair and
therefore enjoys popular support. In the 1970s, a national referendum was had on the
question of providing alternative service to conscienti
ous objectors. The Swiss people defeated it by an overwhelming majority.
A second advantage is that the Swiss Army does not have to operate a vocational school
system, training unqualified people in special skills which they take, as soon as
their enlistment is completed, into the civilian mar
ket. The Swiss system operates in reverse. The Swiss Army, because everyone is
obligated, can choose those people trained in their civilian roles for the military
jobs which match their specialty. In the Swiss system, the
burden of specialized training is on the civilian sector.
A third advantage is that every male, age 20 to 50, who is an elected official or
civil servant in the government at all levels is also a member of the Swiss Army. This
helps prevent the jealousy and hostility that armies
sometimes confront in competing with other government services for their share of the
public resources. The lack of separation between the army, the people, and the
government is one of the unique and valuable characteri
stics of the Swiss system.
A fourth advantage is that Switzerland does not have a high proportion of defense
dollars going to personnel costs. There are no military retirement systems (the 800
full-time officers are included in the civil service pe
nsion system), no veterans benefits, no massive payroll of a large standing army.
There is a medical insurance program to take care of injuries or death while serving
on active duty. Consequently, 50 percent of all Swiss
defense appropriations can be directed toward the acquisition of weapons and
equipment. A comparable figure is 30 percent in the Republic of West Germany.
At the age of 19, young men are given physical and mental tests in preparation for
military service. By this age, most young men in Switzerland have already chosen their
career paths and so permitting the Army to channel
them into the proper slots. Some consideration is given to the recruit's preference
and his locale, but the Army makes the final decision according to its own needs.
At age 20, recruits report for 17 weeks of training. The Swiss do not operate separate
training facilities for recruits and then others for military specialties. Each
training camp handles both the recruit's basic trainin
g and his military specialty. In other words, a young man destined for the medics
reports directly to a medical training company; an infantryman to an infantry training
camp.
At the end of the training cycle, the recruit, now a member of a militia unit with
which he will stay in most cases for the duration of his obligation, returns home. He
carries with him his rifle, an allotment of ammuniti
on, uniforms, military pack, and CBR mask. He is responsible for the maintenance of
this equipment and is inspected annually. Once a year he is also required to qualify
with his personal weapon on a rifle range or face an
additional three days of training. Once a year, he will report for three weeks of
military training in a rugged field exercise set up as a problem the type of which his
particular unit would face.
__________________________________________________________________
[Photo of a militiaman surrounded by a display of his equipment, and caption]
Equipment (value $2,000.00). Every Swiss militia soldier has the above equipment ready
at his home. (See opposite page for itemized list) _____
_____________________________________________________________
PERSONAL EQUIPMENT FOR MEN
(Standards)
No. Arming and Leathers
1 1 assault-gun with magazine and sling
2 1 cleaning-things for assault-gun
3 1 night-sight
4 1 bayonet with fitting
5 1 knife
6 1 belt
7 1 scabbard for bayonet
8 1 box with pocket-ammunition Clothing
9 1 helmet 71
10 1 pass-cup, ord 72
11 1 working-cup, ord 49
12 1 pass-uniform, ord 72
13 1 pass-trousers, ord 72
14 1 working-trousers, ord 49
15 1 coat 16 3 shirts with breast pockets
17 2 jerseys
18 2 black ties
19 1 pass-raincoat
20 1 pass-leather belt
21 1 trousers-belt (elastic)
22 2 pairs of march shoes
Luggage
23 1 rucksack, mod 58/73
24 2 shoe-bags, grey
25 1 effects-bag, olive
26 1 supplies-bag, white
27 1 effects bag 58
28 1 haversack
29 1 canteen with cup
30 1 mess tin
31 1 spoon and 1 fork
32 1 cleaning things 67
Special Equipment
33 1 ABC (atomic/biological/chemical) protective mask with filter
34 1 bag for ABC-protective mask
35 2 pairs of plugs for hearing protection, in boxes
36 1 service book with identity card
37 1 identification tag
38 3 pairs of epaulettes
39 Miscellaneous
__________________________________________________________________
The Swiss Army is organized into four Army Corps. Each Army Corps controls three
Divisions. The Field Army Corps are composed of two Infantry Divisions and one
Mechanized Division. The Mountain Corps has three Mountain Di
visions. In addition, each Field Army Corps has some separate Border Defense Brigades
and the Mountain Corps, separate Fortress Brigades.
These 12 Divisions plus the Air Defense Command constitute the elite. Young men aged
20 to 32 serve in these Divisions. Men of the "Landwehr", 33 to 42 years old, are
found in the separate Brigades. Those in the "Landstur
m", 43 to 50 years old, serve in the Territorial forces. Thus, the duties of the
militiaman are adjusted as his physical capabilities change with age.
These elite field forces with the eight youngest classes of soldiers plus all
Commissioned Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers are mobilized for three weeks of
training each year. "Landwehr" forces train for two weeks
every two years, and "Landsturm" units for one week every four years.
All officers are chosen from the ranks. A young man chosen to become an officer while
he was a private must attend a one-month non-commissioned officers school. If he is
successful, the soldier is promoted to corporal and
, to pay off his new rank, he must serve as a group leader for a period of 17 weeks
immediately following recruit school.
The requisite number of corporals to meet requirements are sent to officer training
schools for four months. After successful completion of this school, he is promoted to
lieutenant. This is followed by service as a plato
on leader with another recruit training unit. After five years in grade, he will be
promoted to first lieutenant.
After two years as a first lieutenant, he is eligible for promotion to captain. To be
promoted to captain, a first lieutenant has to attend a three-week weapons school, a
four-week tactical school and serve as company com
mander in a recruit training cycle. As a captain, he will command and administer a
company.
After eight years, a captain can get promoted to major, and then, if he completes
successfully special training, he may become a battalion commander. Subsequent
promotions to lieutenant colonel after seven years as major
and to colonel two years later depends upon individual ability and vacancies. The
highest rank a militia officer may attain is that of brigade commander. Divisions and
Army Corps are commanded by professional officers.
A first lieutenant or captain who desires to become a career officer has to attend a
series of branch schools and then attend a one-year course at the Military Division of
the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. To
be eligible for selection as a member of the Corps of Instructors, an officer must
have a civilian profession.
In peace time, the Swiss Army has no supreme commander. The Federal Council leads the
army. The general chief of staff is the "primus inter pares" of the army staff. In
case of war mobilization, the Parliament would selec
t a four-star general as supreme commander.
__________________________________________________________________
Tours of Duty in Schools
(Recruits and Superiors)
Private Corp Lt Cap Major Colonel
__________________________________________________________________
1. RS 118 118 118 118 118 118
NCOS 27 27 27 27 27
2. RS 118 118 118 118 118
OS 118 118 118 118 3.
RS 118 118 118 118
Tact 27 27 27
Shoot 20 20 20
4. RS 118 118 118
Tact 27 27
Shoot 6 6
5. RS 27 27
Tact 27
Shoot 14
__________________________________________________________________
Days 118 263 499 664 724 765
__________________________________________________________________
RS = Recruit School
NCOS = Noncommissioned Officer School
OS = Officer School
Tact = Tactical School
Shoot = Shooting School/Course
__________________________________________________________________
The Swiss Air Force is composed of one Air Force, one Airbase and one Anti-Aircraft
Brigade. All combat aircraft are ready for use and are stored in rock-covered
underground bases containing fuel, ammunition, spare parts
and repair shops. There is an automatic surveillance and guidance system to help
engage the air defense and ground attack armaments.
The number of main weapons in the Swiss Army is as follows:
350 aircraft
800 tanks
1,200 armored personnel carriers
900 artillery guns (self-propelled or mobile)
300 artillery tubes in fortresses
2,000 mobile anti-tank guns
300 antitank guns in bunkers
2,000 anti-aircraft guns
3,000 anti-tank guided missile systems
20,000 bazookas
Thousands of grenade launchers and millions of mines are also on hand as well as
30,000 army-owned special vehicles and 50,000 civilian-owned vehicles tagged for
mobilization. Each owner knows precisely where to bring his
vehicle in case of mobilization.
These and other war supplies are stored in arsenals and underground facilities all
over the country. They are stored by unit. A military unit, for example, will draw the
same equipment from the same arsenal each year for
its annual training exercise so that it becomes familiar with it, with its location,
and can assist civilian maintenance personnel in spotting problems.
The Swiss logistics system is a work of genius and is tailored to the requirements of
a militia army in a neutral country which, if it fights, cannot count on allies for
re-supply or assistance.
Of 17,000 civil servants in the Ministry of Defense, 10,500 are in logistics. In 1981
the budget was 800 million Swiss francs and it maintains 5,500 buildings and
installations, 600 war bases, 170 maintenance facilities,
and more than 100 kilometers of underground facilities.
These underground facilities not only contain stores of ammunition and other war
supplies but also underground repair facilities for tanks, artillery pieces,
electronics equipment and vehicles. The value of the Swiss Army
inventory is 12.8 billion Swiss francs.
The Swiss Army maintains 40 military hospitals, ten of them underground -- completely
equipped, spotless and ready. They are used only for training purposes. When the Swiss
purchase a weapons system from abroad, they purc
hase enough spare parts for both the life of the system and for war reserves. This is
to insure continuity of use in a war even though Switzerland is cut off from the
original source of supply.
They also practice the principle of commonality so that military, civil defense, and
police equipment are the same. An example of Swiss ingenuity applied to logistics is
the storage of perishable medical supplies for war-
time use. These supplies are obtained from pharmaceutical companies, stored, and then
at the appropriate time, returned to the pharmaceuticals for sale in exchange for
fresh supplies for storage. By arrangement, the Swiss
government would actually pay for the supplies only in the event of their consumption
during a war.
MILITARY DOCTRINE
Once mobilized, the Swiss Army would fight as a conventional force. Swiss military
doctrine calls for meeting the aggressor at the borders and waging total war. This is
a departure from earlier doctrine which in World War
II called for abandoning the plateau area for the mountain fortresses.
In the event of mobilization, the 4,000 permanent obstacles and barriers would be
activated and the more than 2,000 demolition devices already built into key bridges
and tunnels would be set off. Industrial machines would
be disabled; water levels in the more than 900 dams lowered; fuel tanks burned.
The Swiss terrain -- a hilly plateau region between two mountain ranges -- would
necessarily channelize the aggressor's attacks. These obvious avenues of approach are
heavily fortified and would be defended from built-in
positions and by mobile forces of the three Army Corps backed up by the Air Force. The
Swiss plan is to make every inch gained by the enemy a bloody and costly gain. In the
event main units of the Army are destroyed, Swis
s doctrine calls for continued passive and active resistance by means of guerrilla
warfare.
This combination of powerful resistance by conventional forces, continued resistance
by guerrillas, and the self-destruction of Switzerland's industrial, communications,
and transportation networks constitutes the strateg
y of dissuasion. The message to the potential aggressor is clear: after a bloody,
expensive, time-consuming war, he will have gained nothing of value. He will be faced
with occupation of a hostile area, denuded of economi
c or transportation value, and continued resistance by a determined and armed
population.
The armed population is no bluff. Swiss militiamen are not required to turn in their
weapons upon completion of their obligation. It is said that every Swiss home contains
at least three weapons, for not only is there the
militia system, but there is a long tradition of civilian ownership of firearms and,
as pointed out before, rifle and pistol shooting are virtually the national sports of
Switzerland. There are few restrictions on the Sw
iss purchase, ownership or carrying, of firearms. An armed occupation force would
indeed be literally faced with the prospect of a Swiss rifleman behind every tree.
THE TERRITORIAL SERVICE
A unique component of the Swiss Army is the Territorial Service. It has no equivalent
in the United States and so deserves special attention in this report.
Within the army itself, the Territorial Service operates as logistical units, but it
is much more and is the main link between the army and the civilian sector. It is
composed of those men in the "Landsturm" who are 43 to
50 years of age as well as some younger men assigned to it for Air Raid Rescue
Battalions.
The duties of the Territorial Service can be summarized as follows: (1) It has the
mission of providing warning services to both the Army and the civilian population in
case of danger from air, atomic, biological and chem
ical weapons as well as dam bursts; (2) it is responsible for coordinating the
lowering of the water level of hydroelectric reservoirs and for other measures
concerning the electrical supply system; (3) it has the mission
of caring for internees, prisoners of war and refugees; (4) it provides military
police to assist civil authorities when necessary; (5) it is responsible for the
military economy service -- to supply all the goods needed
by the army from the civilian sector and to handle the dismantling or destruction of
civilian economic assets that could be used by the enemy; and (6) to protect important
and vital installations.
The Territorial Service is primarily designed for war, but portions of it can be
mobilized in peacetime to assist civilian authorities with non-military catastrophes.
Structurally, the Territorial Service is designed to parallel the Swiss civil
government structure. The basic civilian unit of the Swiss Confederation is the
canton. Some of the larger cantons are divided into districts.
Cantons are grouped together to form Territorial Zones.
At the level of a district (a portion of a canton) there is a District Civil Staff and
a Territorial Regional Staff; the Territorial Service equivalent of the canton is
called a Territorial Circle. Here again, the militar
y staff works with the civil staff. At the Territorial Zone level (groups of cantons),
there are also parallel civilian and military staffs.
To make this relationship clearer, we might imagine a United States military service
which had a command structure at the level of the Federal Government, at the level of
the Federal Regions, at the state levels, and at t
he district levels within the states with the missions of providing domestic
intelligence, security for key installations, control of the economy in time of war,
and assistance to the civilian authorities in handling disa
sters and civil disturbances. There is, of course, no such organization in the United
States.
The Swiss have not only clearly defined the missions of the Territorial Service but
also the rules under which it operates. For example, the needs of the army take
precedence over the needs of the civil sector. The Territ
orial Service can assist the civil sector only on the request of civilian authorities
and, even then, authority and responsibility for civilians remains with the civil
authorities. In other words, in the event of a catast
rophe, the Territorial Service is not authorized to step in and take over operations,
but only to provide assistance to civil authorities under their direction.
On the other hand, in the event of war, the Territorial Service's first obligation is
to the army and under those circumstances it would override, if necessary, the civil
authorities in the event of a conflict of interest
s. It is also the Territorial Service which provides the manpower earmarked for use by
civil defense.
CIVIL DEFENSE
Some critics of the Swiss system have expressed the belief that the possession of
nuclear weapons has made the strategy of dissuasion obsolete. These are, to be sure,
those critics who view nuclear war as an offense for w
hich there is no defense.
The Swiss do not agree. Recalling on of their strategic objectives as protection of
the civilian population, the Swiss government has realistically assessed that
objective in light of nuclear, chemical, and biological war
fare. Their answer was to embark on an extensive civil defense program with the idea
of accomplishing two of their strategic objectives -- protection of the population and
maintaining freedom of action. They reason that a
n extensive and useable civil defense program will give the Swiss government the means
to withstand nuclear blackmail, thus preserving freedom of action.
Hans Mumenthaler, director of the Federal Office of Civil Defense, put it this way:
"Lack of protection (for the civilian population) means an impairment of our freedom
of decision and lacking freedom of decision is right
ly felt as an unfree condition."
The latest Swiss laws pertaining to civil defense were revised in 1978 and they have
made remarkable progress. To date, the Swiss have shelter space for 85 percent of the
population and by 1990 plan to have 100 percent of
the population covered. In many cases, there will be two shelter spaces per person --
one at the place of work and one at home.
Swiss law requires compulsory participation in civil defense for all males aged 20 to
60 with exemption only for military service. Consequently, most of the civil defense
personnel are over 50. There is presently a mandat
ory five-day introductory course and two days of annual training. Swiss officials
believe this is not sufficient and, even though supervisors train more extensively,
they would like to see the training schedule expanded f
or everyone.
The law requires that communities have full responsibility for enforcing federal and
cantonal civil defense regulations. Each family is required to provide a shelter at
home and all new construction, even of commercial bu
ildings, must provide shelters built to federal specifications. The confederation
subsidizes the construction of public shelters, but not private ones.
Private shelters are required to withstand one atmosphere of overpressure while public
shelters are built to withstand three atmospheres (one atmosphere equals ten tons per
square meter). In other words, the Swiss opted f
or blast shelters that are rather simply shelters adequate for protection against
fallout. A shelter built to withstand three atmospheres of overpressure could
theoretically provide protection for people within nine- tent
hs of a mile from ground zero with a one-megaton explosion.
Public shelters are equipped with independent water, air filtration, communications,
food, and medical supplies and private citizens are required to stock food for two
weeks duration.
The Swiss have spent, since 1970, 5 billion Swiss Francs on civil defense and are
currently spending at the rate of 210 million Swiss francs annually. Mumenthaler says
this is a ratio of about $1 for every $8 spent on def
ense. He estimates that for the United States to have reached the same level of
protection, would have required the expenditure of $85 billion.
Public support for civil defense is widespread. Mumenthaler explains, "We are mountain
people and we are used to living with danger -- but we are also used to preparing for
it."
Several key decisions were made in approaching the problem of civil defense. One was
to discard the idea of evacuation. Not only are warning times for Switzerland
practically nil, but Swiss authorities reasoned the countr
y is too small for evacuation to be feasible. Evacuees would hinder other military
operations and would likely be no safer. Therefore, the Swiss opted for "vertical as
opposed to horizontal protection." This dictated the
construction of blast-proof shelters.
Another was the adoption of the principle that every inhabitant must have an equal
chance of survival. The Swiss seem to be meticulous about the principle of equal
sharing of both responsibilities and privileges. The firs
t obligation of every Swiss is to their country.
Because of the proximity to likely opponents, the Swiss have adopted the strategy of
ordering people into the shelters as soon as political or military tension reaches a
critical level. From that point on, only key worker
s would leave the shelters until such time as there was an actual attack or the
situation became less tense.
Finally, the Swiss made a basic decision to separate civil defense from the military
operations. The office of civil defense operates under the Minister of Justice and
Federal police. While some 30,000 troops from the Ter
ritorial Service would be made available to civil defense, primarily for fire-fighting
and rescue work, it is not a fighting organization nor does it replace normal civilian
rescue and emergency aid organizations during p
eacetime. It can be mobilized for peacetime rescue work, but this is clearly a
secondary mission.
SUMMARY
Switzerland, a small country with limited resources, has conceptualized, planned, and
implemented a rational security policy which provides maximum effect with minimum
expenditures. The militia system, being both universa
l and a part of the constitution, has wide public acceptance. It allows mobilization
of a large army without the draining costs of a large professional army. the personnel
savings have been invested in redoubts, barriers,
equipment, storage facilities, hospitals, and weapons.
To a remarkable degree, the Swiss require private sector participation in the defense
effort. These private contributions are estimated to equal the annual government
expenditures. By integrating their security policy to
include foreign policy, social policy, defense, civil defense and economic measures,
the Swiss have, in effect, oriented their entire public effort toward the end of
security for their nation and their people.
The Swiss General Defense system provides a high dissuasive value and credibility to
this small, neutral country in the heart of Europe. In case of war Switzerland would
not attract the more powerful nations who might con
sider Switzerland to be a military vacuum. On the contrary, Switzerland can activate
the densest defense system -- on the ground and in the air on short notice -- in
Western Europe.
Thanks to Civil Defense as well as intricate economic preparedness, there is a high
degree of survivability even in a modern war of long duration. The most important
factor remains that the overwhelming majority of the Sw
iss have a strong will to defend the country against any aggressor. They are prepared
to fight, and will fight whenever and whomever necessary.
==================================================================
| | | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | | | | National Defense | Council | |
|CHIEF OF THE DEPARTMENT -- -- -- -- -- -- - - -- -
- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Military Defense OF DEFENSE Committee | | | -- -- -- -- -- --
-- -- Chief Military | Attorney | | | -- -- -- FEDERAL MILITARY ADMINISTRATION | | | |
-- -- -- Topographical Service | | -- -- -- Milit
ary Insurance | | -- -- -- Gymnastics and Sports School | | -- -- -- Chief Field
Commissioner | | | -- -- -- ARMAMENT TECHNOLOGY PROCUREMENT | | | | -- -- -- Deputy |
| -- -- -- Staff | | -- -- -- Technological Division |
| -- -- -- Commercial Division | | -- -- -- Army Works Division | | | -- -- --
|TRAINING & EDUCATION GROUP | | | | -- -- -- Staff | | -- -- -- Chief of Arms Infantry
|| | -- -- -- Chief of Arms Mechanized Troops | | -- --
-- Chief of Arms Artillery | | -- -- -- Adjutant General | | | -- -- -- GENERAL STAFF
SERVICES GROUP | | | | -- -- -- Staff | | -- -- -- Chief Engineers & Fortifications |
| -- -- -- Chief Telecommunications | | -- -- --
Surgeon General | | -- -- -- Chief Veterinary | | -- -- -- Chief Supplies | | -- -- --
Chief Transports and Repairs | | -- -- -- Chief Air Protection Troops | | -- -- --
Chief Ordnance | | | -- -- -- AIR AND ANTI- AIRCRAF
T COMMAND | | | -- -- -- 4 ARMY CORPS
==================================================================
On peace... "To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving
peace." -- George Washington in his first annual address to Congress on January 8, 1790
==================================================================
On war... "War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest thing. The decayed and degraded
state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing is worth a war is worse. A
man who has nothing which he cares about more than h
is personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free unless made
and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." -- John Stuart Mill
(1806-1873) ***
© 2002 Todd Brendan Fahey
Fahey, a strategic writer stationed in South Korea, has served as
aide to Central Intelligence Agency agent Theodore L. 'Ted' Humes,
Division of Slavic Languages, and to the late-Defense Intelligence
Agency [DIA] chief Lt. General Daniel O. Graham; to former Arizona
Governor Evan Mecham (R-AZ), former Congressman John Conlan (R-AZ)
and others. He is the author of Wisdom's Maw: The Acid Novel [Far
Gone Books, 1996] and Al Hubbard: The Original Captain Trips [High
Times Magazine, 1991,] exposes of the CIA's MK-Ultra program and its
influence on the Sixties' psychedelic counterculture. He is the
architect of DumpMcCain.com. You can reach Mr. Fahey at
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
COPYRIGHT © 2002 BY THE AMERICAN PARTISAN. All writers retain rights
to their work.
End<{{{
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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